1. . Extra Rest 2. Breakfast of Champions | 3. Hydrate 4. Exercise 5. Relax |
I have felt the pains of an overdone work week, leaving little room for sleep, let alone exercise during the Monday through Friday rat race. So utilize the weekend to get just a few extra zzz to help energize you through that next work week. This is a sure fire way to avoid symptoms that are often coined as "chronic fatigue," and "adrenal fatigue." Instead of staying up late on Friday, think of this as a relaxing evening with the family. Put the computers away, have dinner, and chill out, maybe even a family board game night! Sleep is extremely important, not only in children and adolescents but adults as well. Research shows that people who averaged less than 7 hours of sleep were 3 times more likely to develop a cold than those with 7 or more hours of sleep! Sleep does not only constitute time in bed, but also time efficiently used (actual time sleeping) and those who are greater than 90% efficient (sleeping well) were up to 5 times less likely to develop the common cold. Sleep deprivation is serious! Numerous studies have shown that it can not only impair immune function but is also tied to inflammatory activity in the body and the brain; which in turn alters your ability to regulate emotions and process rewards (those feel good types of activities)!
With all this talk of sleep though, consistency is yet another important key here. If you have to get up at 5:30am every weekday don't sleep till noon or 1:00pm on Saturday and Sunday. Instead, sleep an extra 30-90 minutes; going to bed a bit early on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and wake 30 minutes later! There are even applications that can help monitor your sleep (no I'm not selling these, just merely providing resources) such as: Restwise (ipad, iphone application) or devices you actually wear while you sleep Zeo Sleep Tracker. I have to admit, I have not used either of these. Instead, I try to follow a few simple strategies on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings to start my work week off right:
- limit alcohol intake
- cut down on caffeine
- quiet time- eliminate noise 1 hour prior to laying down (yes, I am implying the T.V., computer, phone, music)
- meditate or yoga in the evening
- keep a notepad near your bed to write down stressors or thoughts occupying your mind
- don't smoke (for multiple reasons)
- eat 2-3 hours in advance before going to bed
After you've spent the evening sleeping restfully, start your day off right with a breakfast of champions! No, not greasy bacon and sugary boxed pancake mix that leaves one feeling heavy and wanting more sweets all day. Instead try a mix of proteins, complex carbohydrates (slow burning) and healthy fats (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Nuts). Starting your day with a complete meal and REAL food (instead of that from a bag or a box) increases your satiety (your satisfaction and fullness). For some complete breakfast ideas check out 100 Days of Real Food blog, here! When you consume real food and balanced portions, you'll find you don't have to eat as much as it doesn't spike your blood sugar. Here are some great super foods that can be incorporated into your weekend morning routine (your kids will benefit too!):
· almonds (almond milk, sliced in yogurt, on homemade pancakes),
· black beans (in omelets),
· blueberries (antioxidants and neutralize free radicals- use as a side, in granola, or sprinkle on yogurt or whole-grain pancakes),
· salmon omelets,
· sunflower seeds,
· sweet potatoes (we have a sweet potato pancake recipe we love),
· spinach
· tomatoes
For example, a breakfast we often love to make (full of good fats, protein and complex carbs) is a vegetable egg scramble. Throw 2-3 eggs in a bowl, mix in chopped veggies and mix with a fork. Drop about 2 tsp of either EVOO or Unrefined Coconut into a pan on the stove. Pour mixture into the pan and cook on stovetop on medium, either scramble or fold like an omelet. You can get creative with the vegetable that you add- we like to use a dark green leafy vegetable (kale, spinach, arugula, chard, mache), a squash (zucchini, yellow summer squash, winter squash-precook, butternut squash-precook), onion (garlic, yellow, sweet, red onion), and a pepper (red, orange, green or jalapeño). You can top this with slivers of almonds, greek yogurt, hot sauce or ketchup with a side of sprouted toast. Enjoy!
Not only food metabolism for energy and strength is important, hydration plays an important role at the cellular level in our bodies. You’ve all heard it water is about 60% of what makes up our body weight (or should be) for our bodies to function properly. There is no magic formula for everyone. Ever have a headache and can’t figure out why? Try drinking a glass of water (or 2) and wait about 15-30 minutes. Water carries nutrients to our cells, flushes out toxins, and much much more. Even being slightly dehydrated can impact a workout performance, or mental state, and even our emotions! So….drink up!
Is 8 glasses a day enough? Well this depends on several factors: body size, climate, activity, illness, pregnancy, and elevation. The Institute of Medicine recommends about 13 cups per day for men and 9 cups per day for women to be an adequate amount. Some key tips on making water consumption a bit easier throughout your day:
· Invest in a water bottle that travels with you throughout your day. I recommend a nalgene so I can hang on to it. I put stickers all over mine so I know it is mine and ….when I leave it somewhere my coworkers are quick to return it to my desk! Other great water bottles are a simple cycling bottle, camel back bottles (or you could wear a hydration pack on your back, but you may get funny looks at work), a klean or other eco-friendly bottles.
· Put lemons in your water. Lemons add flavor and SURPRISE they are a SUPER FOOD! Lemons have immune boosting power through their anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, digestive aid (which can help with wait lose) and a liver cleanser. They pack a powerful punch containing citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene.
· Switch it up and add Limes to your water. Limes are also considered a power house when it comes to nutrition. They also have anti-oxidant and anti-cancer fighting properties. Limes contain unique flavonoids that have some antibiotic effect. In West Africa, the addition of limes and lime juice to meals was determined to have a protective effect against contraction of cholera! Their healing properties make them a worthwhile investment into your everyday routine.
· Use rubberbands- If my hydration has been lacking and I’ve formed some bad habits (uh hem..Reaching for a latte instead of water), I put a certain number of rubber bands around the neck of my water bottle. As I finish the bottle I peel off a rubber band. This is a good indicator of how much I’ve drank and how much more I need to consume before the end of the day!
Hydration is key, especially when we add exercise to our daily routine. As we know, when you exercise you sweat, which is fluid loss and you need extra water to compensate for that loss. With that aside, exercise has many boasting effects! Overall health benefits include:
· Decreased cardiovascular mortalities
· Reduced respiratory infections
· Decrease risk for colon, breast, and prostate cancer
· Reduced risk of obesity
· Decreased risk of depression
· Helps to maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints
· Can help heal wounds (especially in older people)
· Protects against the effects of stress
This doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or train for an ultra-endurance event; benefits of exercise can be seen in as little as walking 30 minutes per day daily. Research has shown that mild to moderate intensity exercise of 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week (minimum) will help maintain health and fight off disease. Incorporating some high intensity workouts such as strength training and some flexibility training to your typical daily workout will help to lose weight and maintain weight loss. Remember, “Something is better than nothing” and no better way to get your family outside and have fun!
This may sound like an oxymoron but after you are done exercising and playing, relax! We live in a world where we are constantly plugged in and operating from a sense of time urgency; our psyches have no down time. Quiet time plays an important role. I see more and more children that don’t have basic leisure skills, meaning they don’t know what to do with themselves when they aren’t playing a video game… Not only learning how to relax and enjoy time is a benefit to us as adults but we can also play as role models to our children, who will be our future. Ways to relax for 15-30 minutes on the weekends:
· Sit on the front (or back) porch, grab a warm beverage and listen to the birds chirp
· Enjoy coffee with an old friend
· Grab that favorite book and sit on the couch for 15 minutes reading
· Lay down with your eyes closed for 10 minutes
· Knit
· Draw/paint
· Laugh- even alone at yourself- its okay!
· Get a massage
· Go for a walk
Incorporating a few of these strategies on the weekends will leave you better charged for a productive week. In the end, time will keep ticking away so we need to learn how to best absorb every bit of it we can in a meaningful way!